Surgical stapling device with articulation braking assembly

ABSTRACT

A surgical stapling device includes a body portion that defines a longitudinal axis and a tool assembly that articulates about an axis transverse to the longitudinal axis. The surgical stapling device includes an articulation member that is supported in the body portion and is movable between retracted and advanced positions to pivot the tool assembly between a non-articulated position and articulated positions. The body portion supports a braking assembly that moves into engagement with the articulation member to stabilize the articulation member when the surgical stapling device is fired.

FIELD

This disclosure is directed to surgical stapling devices and, more particularly, to surgical stapling devices that have articulating tool assemblies.

BACKGROUND

Surgical stapling devices for suturing and cutting tissue in a fast and efficient manner to perform a variety of surgical procedures are well known. Typically, a surgical stapling device includes a tool assembly that has first and second jaws that support a cartridge assembly and an anvil, respectively. The first and second jaws are mounted together to allow for movement of the tool assembly between open and clamped positions.

Typically, endoscopic surgical stapling devices include an elongate shaft defining a longitudinal axis and the tool assembly is pivotably supported on a distal end of the elongate shaft about the transverse axis. In known endoscopic stapling devices, an articulation rod is coupled to the tool assembly and is movable between retracted and advanced positions to pivot the tool assembly about the transverse axis between a non-articulated position and articulated positions. When the position of the tool assembly is fixed at a desired articulated position and the tool assembly is clamped and fired, due to the inherent clearances of the components in the reload assembly and the firing forces required to fire the stapling device, the articulation rod may undesirably experience tremors that are transferred to the tool assembly.

Accordingly, a continuing need exists in the suturing arts for a surgical stapling device that can minimize tremors during firing of the stapling device.

SUMMARY

Aspects of this disclosure are directed to a surgical stapling device that includes a body portion defining a longitudinal axis and a tool assembly that articulates about an axis transverse to the longitudinal axis. The surgical stapling device includes an articulation member that is supported in the body portion and is movable between retracted and advanced positions to pivot the tool assembly between a non-articulated position and articulated positions. The body portion supports a braking assembly that moves into engagement with the articulation member to stabilize the articulation member when the surgical stapling device is fired.

One aspect of the disclosure is directed to a surgical stapling device including a body portion, a tool assembly, an articulation member, and a braking assembly. The body portion defines a longitudinal axis and has a proximal portion and a distal portion. The tool assembly is pivotably coupled to the distal portion of the body portion and defines a longitudinal axis. The tool assembly includes an anvil and a cartridge assembly and is pivotable from a non-articulated position in which the longitudinal axis of the tool assembly is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the body portion to articulated positions in which the longitudinal axis of the tool assembly is misaligned with the longitudinal axis of the body portion. The articulation member is supported within the body portion and has a proximal portion and a distal portion. The distal portion is coupled to the tool assembly and the articulation member is movable between retracted and advanced positions to pivot the tool assembly between the articulated and non-articulated positions. The braking assembly is supported within the body portion and includes a first brake pad positioned on one side of the articulation member. The braking assembly is movable from a first position in which the first brake pad is spaced from the articulation member to a second position in which the first brake pad is engaged with the articulation member.

Another aspect of the disclosure is directed to a surgical stapling device including a body portion, a tool assembly, an articulation member, and a braking assembly. The body portion defines a longitudinal axis and has a proximal portion and a distal portion. The tool assembly is pivotably coupled to the distal portion of the body portion and defines a longitudinal axis. The tool assembly includes an anvil and a cartridge assembly and is pivotable from a non-articulated position in which the longitudinal axis of the tool assembly is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the body portion to articulated positions in which the longitudinal axis of the tool assembly is misaligned with the longitudinal axis of the body portion. The articulation member is supported within the body portion and has a proximal portion and a distal portion. The distal portion is coupled to the tool assembly and the articulation member is movable between retracted and advanced positions to pivot the tool assembly between the articulated and non-articulated positions. The braking assembly is supported within the body portion and includes a first brake pad that is positioned on one side of the articulation member and a base member supported on the other side of the articulation rod. The base member is movable from a first position in which the first brake pad is spaced from the articulation member and a second position in which the first brake pad is engaged with the articulation member.

Another aspect of the disclosure is directed to a surgical stapling device including a body portion, a tool assembly, an articulation member, and a braking assembly. The body portion defines a longitudinal axis and has a proximal portion and a distal portion. The tool assembly is pivotably coupled to the distal portion of the body portion and defines a longitudinal axis. The tool assembly is pivotable from a non-articulated position in which the longitudinal axis of the tool assembly is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the body portion to articulated positions in which the longitudinal axis of the tool assembly is misaligned with the longitudinal axis of the body portion. The articulation member is supported within the body portion and has a proximal portion and a distal portion. The distal portion is coupled to the tool assembly and the articulation member is movable between retracted and advanced positions to pivot the tool assembly between the articulated and non-articulated positions. The braking assembly is supported within the body portion and includes a first brake pad positioned on one side of the articulation member. The braking assembly is movable from a first position in which the first brake pad is spaced from the articulation member to a second position in which the first brake pad is engaged with the articulation member.

In aspects of the disclosure, the braking assembly includes a second brake pad that is positioned on a second side of the articulation member, and the articulation member is clamped between the first and second brake pads when the braking assembly is in the second position.

In some aspects of the disclosure, the braking assembly includes a base member and a support member, and the brake pad is supported on the base member.

In certain aspects of the disclosure, the braking assembly includes a biasing member that is positioned to urge the braking assembly towards the first position.

In aspects of the disclosure, the biasing member is engaged with the support member.

In some aspects of the disclosure, the stapling device includes a drive assembly that is movable from a retracted position to an advanced position to actuate the tool assembly.

In certain aspects of the disclosure, the drive assembly includes a flexible drive beam and the support member of the braking assembly is supported on the flexible drive beam.

In aspects of the disclosure, the base member of the braking assembly is received within a pocket defined in the body portion, and the base member movable within the pocket as the braking assembly moves from the first position to the second position.

In some aspects of the disclosure, the flexible drive beam defines a concavity and the support member is received within the concavity.

In certain aspects of the disclosure, the concavity is defined by a tapered wall and engagement between the tapered wall and the support member of the braking assembly causes movement of the braking assembly from the first position to the second position when the drive assembly moves from the retracted position towards the advanced position.

In aspects of the disclosure, the stapling device includes a handle assembly and an adapter assembly, and the body portion is coupled to the adapter assembly.

Other aspects of the disclosure will be appreciated from the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various aspects of the disclosed stapling device are described herein below with reference to the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of a surgical stapling device with according to aspects of the disclosure with a tool assembly of the stapling device in an open position;

FIG. 2 is an exploded side perspective view of a reload assembly of the surgical stapling device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the reload assembly shown in FIG. 2 with an outer tube of a proximal body portion of the reload assembly shown in phantom and the tool assembly in an articulated position;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the indicated area of detail shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a side perspective view of a distal portion of the proximal body portion of the reload assembly shown in FIG. 3 with an anvil adapter and the outer tube of the proximal body portion of the reload assembly removed and the tool assembly in an articulated position;

FIG. 6 is a side perspective view of a distal portion of the anvil adapter of the proximal body portion of the reload assembly shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along section line 7-7 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along section line 8-8 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along a longitudinal axis of the proximal body portion of the reload assembly shown in FIG. 2 through an articulation braking assembly of the reload assembly; and

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along section line 10-10 of FIG. 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The disclosed surgical stapling device will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings in which like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding elements in each of the several views. However, it is to be understood that the disclosed aspects are merely exemplary of the disclosure and may be embodied in various forms. Well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail to avoid obscuring the disclosure in unnecessary detail. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the disclosure in virtually any appropriately detailed structure.

In this description, the term “proximal” is used generally to refer to that portion of the device that is closer to a clinician, while the term “distal” is used generally to refer to that portion of the device that is farther from the clinician. In addition, the term “endoscopic” is used generally used to refer to endoscopic, laparoscopic, arthroscopic, and/or any other procedures conducted through a small diameter incision or cannula. Further, the term “clinician” is used generally to refer to medical personnel including doctors, nurses, and support personnel. Moreover, directional terms such as front, rear, upper, lower, top, bottom, and similar terms are used to assist in understanding the description and are not intended to limit the disclosure.

The disclosed surgical stapling device includes a body portion defining a longitudinal axis and a tool assembly that articulates about an axis transverse to the longitudinal axis. The surgical stapling device includes an articulation member that is supported in the body portion and is movable between retracted and advanced positions to pivot the tool assembly between a non-articulated position and articulated positions. The body portion supports a braking assembly that moves into engagement with the articulation member to stabilize the articulation member when the surgical stapling device is fired.

FIG. 1 illustrates a surgical stapling device shown generally as stapling device 10 that includes a handle assembly 12, an elongate body or adapter assembly 14, and a tool assembly 16. As illustrated, the handle assembly 12 is powered and includes a stationary handgrip 18 and actuation buttons 20. The actuation buttons 20 are operable to actuate various functions of the tool assembly 16 via the adapter assembly 14 including approximation, stapling, and cutting. In certain aspects of the disclosure, the handle assembly 12 supports batteries (not shown) that provide power to the handle assembly 12 to operate the stapling device 10. Although the stapling device 10 is illustrated as a powered stapling device, it is envisioned that the disclosed tool assembly 16 is suitable for use with manually powered surgical stapling devices as well as robotically controlled stapling devices.

The adapter assembly 14 defines a longitudinal axis “X” and includes a proximal portion 14 a that is coupled to the handle assembly 12 and a distal portion 14 b that supports the tool assembly 16. In aspects of the disclosure, the tool assembly 16 forms part of a reload assembly 22 that is removably supported on the distal portion 14 b of the adapter assembly 14 and can be replaced after the stapling device 10 is fired to facilitate reuse of the stapling device 10. The reload assembly 22 includes the tool assembly 16 and a proximal body portion 24 that is coaxial with the adapter assembly 14 and is releasably coupled to the distal portion 14 b of the adapter assembly 14. It is envisioned that the tool assembly 16 can be coupled directly to the distal portion 14 b of the adapter assembly 14.

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate the reload assembly 22 of the surgical stapling device including the proximal body portion 24, the tool assembly 16, and a mounting assembly 28 (FIG. 3). The tool assembly 16 of the stapling device 10 includes a cartridge assembly 30 and an anvil 32. The cartridge assembly 30 includes a channel member 34 that defines a cavity 34 a (FIG. 2) and a staple cartridge 36 that is received within the cavity 34 a. The staple cartridge 36 includes a cartridge body 38 that defines a central knife slot 40 and a plurality of staple receiving slots 42 that are positioned on each side of the central knife slot 40. Although not shown, the cartridge body 38 supports staples, pushers, and an actuation sled. U.S. Pat. No. 6,241,139 (“the '139 Patent”) describes the construction and operation of a staple cartridge in further detail.

The mounting assembly 28 (FIG. 3) includes an upper mounting portion 28 a (FIG. 2) and a lower mounting portion 28 b. The upper mounting portion 28 a includes an upwardly extending pivot member 44 (FIG. 2) that is received in an opening 46 a defined in a proximally extending bracket 46 (FIG. 2) that is secured to a proximal portion of the anvil 32. The lower mounting portion 28 b is secured to the anvil 32 and to the channel member 34 of the cartridge assembly 30 by pivot members 48 a and 48 b (FIG. 2) such that the channel member 34 is pivotable in relation to the anvil 32 between open and clamped positions. Although as illustrated, the cartridge assembly 30 pivots towards and away from the anvil 32, it is envisioned that the tool assembly 16 could be constructed such that the anvil 32 pivots towards and away from the cartridge assembly 32. For a more detailed description of the construction and operation of the mounting assembly 28 and tool assembly 16, see the '139 Patent.

The proximal body portion 24 of the reload assembly 22 includes an upper body portion 50 and a lower body portion 52 that are coupled together and received within an outer tube 54. The upper body portion 50 includes a proximal portion 50 a that is adapted to be releasably coupled to the adapter assembly 14. The upper and lower body portions 50 and 52, respectively, define cutouts 56 (FIG. 2) (only one is shown) that receive coupling members 58 and pivotably couple the tool assembly 16 and the mounting assembly 28 to the proximal body portion 24 of the reload assembly 22. The tool assembly 16 defines a longitudinal axis “Y” (FIG. 1) and is pivotable from a position in which the longitudinal axis “Y” of the tool assembly 16 is aligned with the longitudinal axis “X” of the proximal body portion 24 to positions in which the longitudinal axis “Y” of the tool assembly 16 is misaligned with the longitudinal axis “X” of the proximal body portion 24. For a more detailed description of the coupling members 58, see the '139 Patent. The upper and lower body portions 50 and 52 define channels for receiving a drive assembly 60 and articulation member 62 of the reload assembly 22.

The drive assembly 60 (FIG. 2) includes a flexible drive beam 64 and a working end 66. In aspects of the disclosure, the working end 66 of the drive assembly 60 includes a first beam 68, a second beam 70, and a central strut 72. In aspects of the disclosure, the central strut 72 supports or includes a knife blade 74. The flexible drive beam 64 includes an upper edge 64 a that defines a concavity 76 (FIG. 4) that has a tapered proximal wall 76 a. The drive assembly 60 is movable within the proximal body portion 24 to move the working end 66 of the drive assembly 60 in relation to the cartridge assembly 30 and the anvil 32 between retracted and advanced positions to move the tool assembly 16 between the open and clamped positions. Movement of the working end 66 of the drive assembly 60 between its retracted and advanced positions ejects staples (not shown) from the cartridge body 36 into the anvil 32. The '139 Patent describes operation of the drive assembly 60 in further detail.

The articulation member 62 is supported between the upper and lower body portions 50 and 52 and is movable between retracted and advanced positions to pivot the tool assembly 16 between the non-articulated and articulated positions. The articulation member 62 includes a proximal portion 62 a (FIG. 2) and a distal portion 62 b. The proximal portion 62 a of the articulation member 62 is configured to engage an articulation mechanism (not shown) supported within the adapter assembly 14 when the reload assembly 22 is coupled to the adapter assembly 14. The articulation mechanism (not shown) is actuatable via operation of the handle assembly 12 to move the articulation member 62 between its retracted and advanced positions.

The distal portion 62 b of the articulation member 62 is coupled to the lower mounting portion 28 b of the mounting assembly 28 such that longitudinal movement of the articulation member 62 between its retracted and advanced positions pivots the tool assembly 16 about a pivot axis “Z” (FIG. 3) defined by the pivot member 44 in relation to the proximal body portion 24 between the non-articulated position and articulated positions. In aspects of the disclosure, the distal portion 62 b of the articulation member 62 b includes a loop 78 that receives a projection 80 formed on the lower mounting portion 28 b of the mounting assembly 28.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate a braking assembly 90 of the reload assembly 22 which includes a body 92 having a base member 94 and a support member 96. In aspects of the disclosure, the base member 94 is substantially rectangular and supports a brake pad 98 (FIG. 4). It is envisioned that the base member 94 can have a variety of configurations including circular, square, elliptical, etc. The lower body portion 52 of the proximal body portion 24 of the reload assembly 22 includes a support surface 100 and defines a pocket 101 that has a shape that corresponds to the shape of the base member 94 of the braking assembly 90 and is positioned along the support surface 100. The support surface 100 of the lower body portion 52 supports the articulation member 62 which is slidable between its retracted and advanced positions along the support surface 100. The brake pad 98 is supported on the base member 94 of the lower braking assembly 90 such that the brake pad 98 faces and is positioned on one side of the articulation member 62.

In aspects of the disclosure, the support member 96 of the braking assembly 90 is substantially U-shaped and extends upwardly from the base member 94 of the braking assembly 90 along one side of the flexible drive beam 64 of the drive assembly 60 over the upper edge 64 a of the flexible drive beam 64 and downwardly along the other side of the flexible drive beam 64. When the drive assembly 60 is in its retracted position (FIG. 5), the support member 96 is received within the concavity 76 formed along the upper edge of the flexible drive beam 64 of the drive assembly 60. It is envisioned that the support member 96 of the braking assembly 90 can communicate with the flexible drive beam 64 in a variety of different ways to achieve the purpose described below including via projections, cam members, or the like.

In aspects of the disclosure, the base member 94 of the braking assembly 90 is movable within the pocket 101 of the lower body portion 52 of the proximal body portion 22 of the reload assembly 22 towards the articulation member 62 in response to longitudinal movement of the drive assembly 60 from it retracted position towards its advanced position between a spaced or lower position (FIG. 7) and an engaged or raised position (FIG. 10). More specifically, when the drive assembly 60 moves from its retracted position (FIG. 8) towards its advanced position, the support member 96 moves upwardly along the tapered proximal wall 76 a defining the concavity 76 of the flexible drive beam 64 of the drive assembly 60 to move the brake pad 98 into engagement with the articulation member 62. In some aspects of the disclosure, the braking assembly 90 includes a biasing member 103 (FIG. 4) that urges the support member 96 of the braking assembly 90 in a direction to urge the base member 94 of the braking assembly 90 towards its spaced or lower position within the pocket 101. In aspects of the disclosure, the biasing member 103 includes a leaf spring although other biasing members are envisioned. In some aspects of the disclosure, the leaf spring can be welded to the support member 96 of the braking assembly 90

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate the upper body portion 50 of the proximal body portion 24 of the reload assembly 22 which defines a pocket 102 that receives a second brake pad 104. The pocket 102 is formed in a support surface 106 that is positioned in juxtaposed alignment with the support surface 100 of the lower body portion 52 of the proximal body portion 24 of the reload assembly 22 when the upper and lower body portions 50 and 52 are secured together such that the articulation member 62 is positioned between the brake pads 98 and 104 of the upper and lower body portions 50 and 52 of the proximal body portion 24 of the reload assembly 22.

In aspects of the disclosure, the brake pads 98 and 104 can be in a variety of forms. For example, the brake pads 98 and 104 can be serrated or knurled surfaces that are formed integrally with the base member 94 of the braking assembly 90 and on the support surface 106 of the upper body portion 50 of the proximal body portion 24 of the reload assembly 22. It is also envisioned that the brake pads 98 and 104 can be in the form of high friction elements that are secured to the base member 94 of the braking assembly 90 and/or onto the support surface 106 of the upper body portion 50 using adhesives, press-fitting or the like.

FIG. 8 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the proximal body portion 24 of the reload assembly 22 with the drive assembly 60 in its retracted position. In this position, the support member 96 of the braking assembly 90 is positioned within the concavity 76 formed in the flexible drive beam 64 of the drive assembly 60 and the braking assembly 90 is in its lowered position with the brake pad 98 spaced from the articulation member 62 (FIG. 7). The biasing member 103 is engaged with the support member 96 of the braking assembly 90 to urge braking assembly 90 downwardly into the concavity 76.

FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate a cross-sectional view of the proximal body portion 24 of the reload assembly 22 as the drive assembly 60 is advanced from its retracted position in the direction of arrows “A” in FIG. 9. As the drive assembly 60 moves in the direction of arrows “A”, the support member 96 of the braking assembly 90 rides up the tapered proximal wall 76 a that defines the concavity 76 in the flexible drive beam 64 in the direction of arrows “B” in FIG. 9 and moves to the raised position. As the braking assembly 90 moves to the raised position, the brake pad 98 on the braking assembly 90 moves in the direction of arrow “C” in FIG. 10 into tight engagement with one side of the articulation member 62. When the brake pad 98 presses against the articulation member 62, the articulation member 62 moves into tight engagement with the second brake pad 104 that is supported on the upper body portion 50 of the proximal body portion 24 of the reload assembly 22 such that the articulation member 62 is clamped between the brake pads 98 and 104. The disclosed braking assembly 90 is engaged with the articulation member 62 when the stapling device 10 is fired to prevent longitudinal movement of the articulation member 62 during firing of the stapling device 10 to minimize tremors that may occur in the tool assembly 16 during firing of the stapling device 10.

It is envisioned that the braking assembly 90 need not include two brake pads. For example, the brake pad 104 can be removed from the upper body portion 50 and the articulation member 62 could be compressed against the support surface 102 of the upper body portion. In addition, the brake pad 98 could be removed from the base member 94 of the braking assembly 90 and the base member could be provided to compress the articulation member 62 into the brake pad 104. It is also envisioned that the disclosed barking assembly could be incorporated into a variety of different types of surgical devices having articulating tool assemblies including clip appliers, suturing devices, tack appliers, and the like.

Persons skilled in the art will understand that the devices and methods specifically described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings are non-limiting exemplary aspects of the disclosure. It is envisioned that the elements and features illustrated or described in connection with one exemplary aspects of the disclosure may be combined with the elements and features of another without departing from the scope of the disclosure. As well, one skilled in the art will appreciate further features and advantages of the disclosure based on the above-described aspects of the disclosure. Accordingly, the disclosure is not to be limited by what has been particularly shown and described, except as indicated by the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A surgical stapling device comprising: a body portion defining a longitudinal axis and having a proximal portion and a distal portion; a tool assembly pivotably coupled to the distal portion of the body portion, the tool assembly defining a longitudinal axis and including an anvil and a cartridge assembly, the tool assembly being pivotable from a non-articulated position in which the longitudinal axis of the tool assembly is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the body portion to articulated positions in which the longitudinal axis of the tool assembly is misaligned with the longitudinal axis of the body portion; an articulation member supported within the body portion, the articulation member having a proximal portion and a distal portion, the distal portion coupled to the tool assembly, the articulation member being movable between retracted and advanced positions to pivot the tool assembly between the articulated and non-articulated positions; and a braking assembly supported within the body portion, the braking assembly including a first brake pad positioned on one side of the articulation member, the braking assembly movable from a first position in which the first brake pad is spaced from the articulation member to a second position in which the first brake pad is engaged with the articulation member.
 2. The surgical stapling device of claim 1, wherein the braking assembly includes a second brake pad positioned on a second side of the articulation member, the articulation member being clamped between the first and second brake pads when the braking assembly is in the second position.
 3. The surgical stapling device of claim 2, wherein the braking assembly includes a base member and a support member, the brake pad supported on the base member.
 4. The surgical stapling device of claim 3, wherein the braking assembly includes a biasing member that is positioned to urge the braking assembly towards the first position.
 5. The surgical stapling device of claim 4, wherein the biasing member is engaged with the support member.
 6. The surgical stapling device of claim 5, further including a drive assembly, the drive assembly movable from a retracted position to an advanced position to actuate the tool assembly.
 7. The surgical stapling device of claim 6, wherein the drive assembly includes a flexible drive beam and the support member of the braking assembly is supported on the flexible drive beam.
 8. The surgical stapling device of claim 7, wherein the base member of the braking assembly is received within a pocket defined in the body portion, the base member movable within the pocket as the braking assembly moves from the first position to the second position.
 9. The surgical stapling device of claim 8, wherein the flexible drive beam defines a concavity and the support member is received within the concavity.
 10. The surgical stapling device of claim 9, wherein the concavity is defined by a tapered wall and engagement between the tapered wall and the support member of the braking assembly causes movement of the braking assembly from the first position to the second position when the drive assembly moves from the retracted position towards the advanced position.
 11. The surgical stapling device of claim 1, further including a handle assembly and an adapter assembly, the body portion being coupled to the adapter assembly.
 12. A surgical stapling device comprising: a body portion defining a longitudinal axis and having a proximal portion and a distal portion; a tool assembly pivotably coupled to the distal portion of the body portion, the tool assembly defining a longitudinal axis and including an anvil and a cartridge assembly, the tool assembly being pivotable from a non-articulated position in which the longitudinal axis of the tool assembly is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the body portion to articulated positions in which the longitudinal axis of the tool assembly is misaligned with the longitudinal axis of the body portion; an articulation member supported within the body portion, the articulation member having a proximal portion and a distal portion, the distal portion coupled to the tool assembly, the articulation member being movable between retracted and advanced positions to pivot the tool assembly between the articulated and non-articulated positions; and a braking assembly supported within the body portion, the braking assembly including a first brake pad positioned on one side of the articulation member and a base member supported on the other side of the articulation rod, the base member movable from a first position in which the first brake pad is spaced from the articulation member to a second position in which the first brake pad is engaged with the articulation member.
 13. The surgical stapling device of claim 12, wherein the base member supports a second brake pad and the articulation member is clamped between the first and second brake pads when the base member of the braking assembly is in the second position.
 14. The surgical stapling device of claim 13, further including a drive assembly, the drive assembly movable from a retracted position to an advanced position to actuate the tool assembly.
 15. The surgical stapling device of claim 14, wherein the drive assembly includes a flexible drive beam and the braking assembly includes a support member that is supported on the flexible drive beam.
 16. The surgical stapling device of claim 15, wherein the base member of the braking assembly is received within a pocket defined in the body portion, the base member movable within the pocket from the first position to the second position.
 17. The surgical stapling device of claim 16, wherein the flexible drive beam defines a concavity that is defined by a tapered wall and the support member is received within the concavity, engagement between the tapered wall and the support member of the braking assembly causing movement of the base member from the first position to the second position when the drive assembly moves from the retracted position towards the advanced position.
 18. The surgical stapling device of claim 12, wherein the braking assembly includes a biasing member that is positioned to urge the base member towards the first position.
 19. A surgical stapling device comprising: a body portion defining a longitudinal axis and having a proximal portion and a distal portion; a tool assembly pivotably coupled to the distal portion of the body portion, the tool assembly defining a longitudinal axis, the tool assembly being pivotable from a non-articulated position in which the longitudinal axis of the tool assembly is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the body portion to articulated positions in which the longitudinal axis of the tool assembly is misaligned with the longitudinal axis of the body portion; an articulation member supported within the body portion, the articulation member having a proximal portion and a distal portion, the distal portion coupled to the tool assembly, the articulation member being movable between retracted and advanced positions to pivot the tool assembly between the articulated and non-articulated positions; and a braking assembly supported within the body portion, the braking assembly including a first brake pad positioned on one side of the articulation member, the braking assembly movable from a first position in which the first brake pad is spaced from the articulation member to a second position in which the first brake pad is engaged with the articulation member.
 20. The surgical stapling device of claim 19, wherein the braking assembly includes a biasing member that is positioned to urge the braking assembly towards the first position. 